Rebel News is suing the RCMP for its actions against David Menzies and what the news organization calls “a pattern of intimidation and exclusion against Rebel News journalists.”
The independent media organization and one of its reporters, Menzies, have filed a lawsuit against the federal government, York Regional Police, and five RCMP officers over what they describe in their court filing as the assault and false arrest of Menzies.
They originally announced that they planned to sue the RCMP over the arrest two days after Menzies was arrested while attempting to interview Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland at an event in the Greater Toronto Area.
The lawsuit alleges seven claims, including false arrest, false imprisonment, abuse of process, as well as assault and battery.
Rebel News and Menzies also allege their Charter rights to freedom of the press and freedom from arbitrary detention were violated.
The lawsuit specifically targets five RCMP officers, identified as John Does.
The RCMP said in a statement to True North that it does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
The incident occurred Jan. 8 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, where Freeland was attending an event honouring victims of the downed PS752 flight.
Upon seeing Freeland arrive, Menzies and a videographer approached her and asked her two questions.
“Ms. Freeland, how come the IGRC is not a terrorist group? Why is your government supporting Islamo-Nazism?” Menzies said while walking alongside Freeland. An RCMP officer appears on video to have put himself in Menzies’ path, which Rebel’s lawsuit alleges made physical content inevitable.
“Mr. Menzies did not push or shove anyone. He did not ‘almost’ push anyone. He was not ‘aggressive’ with either Minister Freeland or the police. At all material times, he maintained a reasonable distance from Minister Freeland,” says the lawsuit.
Despite this, Menzies was detained, arrested, and charged with assault of a police officer, not for his interactions with Freeland.
“There was no cause for either the detention or arrest of Mr. Menzies,” claims the lawsuit.
After the arrest, Menzies was placed in a York Regional Police vehicle and driven to an empty parking lot a few blocks away where he was told that he was not being charged and instead being released. He was told he was prohibited from returning to the venue under the Trespass to Property Act. The videographer, Lincoln Jay, was given the same verbal notice.
“The RCMP and the YRP worked in concert to assault, detain, and falsely arrest Mr. Menzies. The conduct of John Doe #1-5, amounts to bad faith and a perversion to their roles as police officers,” reads the lawsuit.
In Rebel News’ lawsuit, they provide previous examples of incidents with the RCMP, which they deem to be a “pattern of police misconduct behaviour” against the organization.
The lawsuit claims that the RCMP assaulted Menzies in 2020 when asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau questions at a large fundraising gathering. Menzies has commenced litigation against the RCMP over this incident.
Alexa Lavoie, a journalist with Rebel News, was allegedly shot by the RCMP with a riot-suppressing gun while covering the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa. Lavoie has commenced a claim against the RCMP for the incident.
“This isn’t just about suing Freeland’s bodyguards for assault and false arrest. That’s in there of course. It’s also about showing the ongoing pattern of abuse that the government directs at Rebel News, including a previous assault on David, attacking our reporter Alexa Lavoie with batons and a riot gun, and a pattern of punishing us simply because we criticize Trudeau,” said Menzies.
